Scott Galloway’s “Notes On Being A Man” is a fascinating read, though if one is a regular listener to any of his podcasts or even has seen/heard any of the myriad interviews he’s done over the years, the stories and even the narrative backbone of the book will be familiar to you.
A multi-hyphenate of considerable skill with a bawdy sense of humor, Galloway is a successful tech entrepreneur, investor, marketing professor at NYU, and the host/co-host of a number of podcasts, including “Pivot,” which he does with technology journalist Kara Swisher. “Notes On Being A Man” follows a theme that Galloway has sounded frequently in recent years – that our society needs to pay attention to young men, who increasingly are more isolated and less educated, which makes them both less productive and more dangerous to society at large.
It isn’t a zero-sum argument. Galloway isn’t suggesting that more attention should be paid to young men in a way that creates a deficit of attention for others; nor does he say that young men are victims of an oppressive society.
But let’s face it – young men, especially young white men, traditionally have gotten almost all the breaks in our culture. But as things evened out, many young men embraced victimhood and a warped view of what masculinity means. Galloway’s goal is to put this right, and he writes that real masculinity – not performative masculinity – is about creating “surplus value,” or contributing more to one’s society, family and relationships than one receives. As a culture, he proposes, we have to start providing better role models for young men and providing paths that can lead them out of what has become a moral and ethical morass that only pretends to be masculine.
“Notes On Being A Man” is part prescription and part memoir, and to be honest, I found the latter to be the most compelling part of the book. Galloway and his mother were deserted by his father, and he clearly worships his mom, who put his upbringing first. But he also writes movingly about many of the male role models he has had over his life. Galloway can do a lot of virtue-signaling, but I think he’s sincere about recognizing that while he is a talented man who worked hard, he also has been exceptionally lucky in his mentors and opportunities. He seems to want to pay it forward, and I respect that.
We’ve been living in our Connecticut home for almost 42 years, and we’ve seen a lot of neighbors come and go. So the other night is was great fun to gather a few of them – some still living on the street, and some who have left but have remained in touch – for a dinner at our house.
On the menu – a shrimp risotto that is one of my favorite things to make, and our friends washed it down with a 2021 Damilano Barbera D’Asti, a spicy and full-bodied Italian red that managed to be just soft enough to work with the seafood risotto.
The food was good, the conversation excellent and the fire was warm.
Who could ask for anything more.
That’s it for now. Back next week.
Sláinte!!
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